How do I help my child recognise numbers?

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DD is 3.9, can recognise 0 and 1. Sometimes 2 but not reliably. We've just had her mid year report and it's getting to the stage where she needs to recognise them to progress. She's considered behind in this area in her year group. How can I bring her up to speed?

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We have a poster on the wall and concentrate on one number every couple of days and then I "test" ds every now and again by playfully getting him to point to all the numbers we've done with me shouting hem out randomly.

Is your dd in private day nursery? If so I wouldn't worry too much cause we've been told that the national curriculum only recommend they know numbers 1-10 by the end of their first year in reception at school, so my worry, if anything, is that ds is going to be bored silly!

No she's in preschool. A nursery in a school. We had parents evening tonight and she really needs to know 1-6 now, and to at least 10 by the end of her nursery year. Compared to my friends children of the same age she is a lot more forward than any of them so I thought she would be doing ok in school but she is only average in all subjects and behind in maths.They can't take her much further until she knows this :-/ thanks for the tips. I'm wondering if this sort of formal learning is wrong for her now.

Stop stressing about it and wait for her to go to school. Some DCs pick things up more quickly than others. DS (nearly 5) can only regularly recognise numbers up to 10, often to 20 but gets mixed up. He's better at reading than numbers.

She should be learning through play not formal learning at pre-school.

Stop worrying! In most European countries she wouldn't be doing any formal learning at this age. She should be playing, developing her imagination, social skills, gross and fine motor control ie climbing, jumping, throwing and catching, drawing, threading, playing with lego, learning to handle knife and fork, go to the toilet by herself, dress herself, tell stories, sing, enjoy music .... NOT stress about whether she can count to 10.

My dd is 4.5 and can only just do it, and not always reliably. I am a primary school teacher and I am not at all worried.

Let your daughter be a 3-year old!

Don't really know why they are saying she 'should be able to' do this in a pre-school class? These are Early Years Foundation goals, and are by the end of Reception.
I terms of helping your DD, just point out numbers everywhere you go- no need to sit down and formally 'teach' for a while yet

Thanks for the reassurance everyone :) but what do I do regarding getting left behind? Most of the class can do this now, also she's one of two, out of sixty children who can't write her name. They do lots of play but there are formal learning sessions within the morning eg phonics and numbers. This was really the only option for a preschool place BTW there is only one day nursery nearby and that had no places.

Agree with others who say that she's only 3.9 for goodness sake, and the pre-school sound like she is about to fail her GCSEs.

But...can you just build in number-recognition to every day life? Eg when you are walking down the street, asking your DD to spot a particular number on road signs, parked car number plates, house numbers, fire hydrant signs (good because they are at child height) etc etc. Can you just bring in numbers to any situation where you have a pen and paper, or where you are drawing with your DD, or where you have a stick and a patch of mud in the park, or tracing numbers in condensation etc etc? Can you choose "meaningful" numbers to start with - eg 3 because that's her age, 45 because that's your house number etc etc.

We do all this with DD because she seems to find it fun (especially spotting numbers as we walk along the street) and she has really picked it up. The first number she could recognise was "2" because of it being her age. But we don't sit her down and do "number homework" or anything! I think as long as you make it a fun game, you aren't ruining her childhood

Good luck.

Thats a fab idea! thanks wigeon I think this is how she has learned 2 as the number is on the lift in asda and floor 2 is where the cafe is .
I'll make sure to pay attention to numbers when we are out. Although our house number is in the 100's so that might be a bit high for her :)

Don't like the sound of 3-year olds doing 'formal sessions'. If she is one of two out of 60 who can't write her name, then she is not ready and/or the others have had a huge amount of training at home. Why bother training them doing something for which they are not developmentally ready?
If your pre school is pressurising you to make her recognise these numbers over a year earlier than even the NC recommends then THEY ARE WRONG.
Incidentally, my dd can't write her name either - she is not interested and I have never sat her down and practised it with her again and again and again. She draws a mean rabbit though, because that's what interests her.

another primary school teacher here- please don't stress about ur child being 'left behind' she is 3 fgs! some children just reach different points at different points that's all. EVERYTHING at her age should just be about play, play and more play. all the things wigeon says are great, it's about building recognition into everyday life. we also do 'i spy...' but do a number instead of letter/sound, she holds the 'shopping list' when we go shopping and i ask her what we need etc, and setting the table- how many of each thing do we need, and she also likes looking at the calendar- eg on day 6 granny id coming to visit or that's is when we will go swimming, iyswim. but again the focus really needs to be on just engaging with her and involving her in 'real life' things, rather than any formal learning. PLAY, PLAY, PLAY

sorry, that sounds like i am implying you do not engage- that is not what i mean at all- just that you need to relate the numbers to real things, through conversation with you.

Let him watch Numberjacks on CBEEBIES. My daughter had 1- 9 completely sorted after about 5 episodes. It's that absorbed learning innit.

I wouldn't worry. From what I've heard, number recognition (as opposed to counting etc) actually comes quite late to many children.

You could try representing them physically though - stamps, playdough cutters, beads, magnets etc with number shapes, and play with them. It often helps to have something physical to embed learning.

Oh she hates numberjacks 2cats she will watch alphablocks sometimes, but really only wants to watch Pippin
Thanks for the ideas dotty we do lots of learning around day to day things and she especially likes having the shopping list at the supermarket. I think we have spent a lot of time on language/reading and I don't bring numbers up often enough. She can recognise probably around 80-100 words, knows all of her letters and is doing well in the phonics 'lessons' but this is what she enjoys doing. I thought this was good but she has only been rated as average by the school.

When DS was at nursery (preschool) we got one of those magnetic calendars. At the beginning we did it together but fairly rapidly he began doing it for himself. It also helped with days of the week, months, seasons and weather and IT IS FUN!!!

This is the calendar we have.

DS learned numbers through Thomas the Tank Engine I think.

I don't really believe that is one of the only one who cannot do it.

Children are all different - she's not going to get to 16 and be able to recognise numbers. Stop fretting and tell her "teachers" to bugger off.

DD didnt show much interest in numbers until one day I pointed out the bus number we were getting on. Now she is obsessed with bus numbers, every time she sees one she has to know what number it is and where it goes! She is 3.7 and knows lots and lots of numbers now and can even distinguish between a 14 and a 41! It just made things more interesting for her, I agree with everything wigeon says if you are slightly concerned but let her be a 3 year old and play!

From the book I was reading (and tbh it was a tad confusing because it said, 'ready for school', but some places take this to mean 'ready for year 1, and end of foundation stage, and others mean, 'ready for reception'... so even I as a practicitoner get confused (ans do others!). It seems like your setting is one of the confused bunch... ie, hey think that to go to reception they need to do these things. By the school they work with it might be the case, but certaily isn't part of the eyfs.

One interesting thing is that by about 4, most children can attempt their name. In other words they make a good attempt or do it. My dd has a short name, but despite writing her initial letter completely unprompted from about 2, didn't write her name till she started school pretty much. She is a just 4 tho (in aug, so she is 4.5 now). Her issue was her name contains a 'd' and learning which way round is more complicated than writing it in the first place!

Numbers 1-10 have to be relevant. if they don't make sense, then they won't pick them up. It's much more important that they have a solid grounding in mathematical awareness! Reception will mainly focus on numbers 1-10 anyway.

So do as they say, make number relevant, play games wit her toys, count tem, find the correct numeral to match it and so on. So its fun and a game, and not 'learning'.

At work, we found more success with number learning when 'doing' something along with learning the numeral. So jumping 3 times on a number 3 for eg, racing to the number 5 etc etc

HTH

WRT making the numbers actually mean something - a quick tip about counting:

I always get my DD to touch or move the objects she is counting, rather than just pointing to them - as well as helping her keep her place it also makes it more real IYSWIM.

Thanks everyone for the tips I like the sound of the 'jumping to the 3' game mrsdoas and will give that a go when she knows a few more.
She's been off school today so we read a book about numbers and she seems quite interested. She knew 0 and 1 and now knows 2, 10 and is well on the way with 3 and 8. I have one hell of a headache Ive given her lots of praise and stickers when she has learned the number so I'll see how she goes over the weekend. I'd love to send her back in Monday knowing them all and say up yours ;) ha ha ha!

My DS learned his numbers when we got a Melissa and Doug clock, where each number is printed on a different wooden shape.

He loved it and over about a week learned his numbers (and most of the shapes) as each time he put a shape in we counted them.

We were also given a set of those big foam jigsaw number floormats, which were great for 'can you stand on the 4?' type games.

After that he loved seeing numbers on doors/on hopscotch markings at playgrounds etc.

Oh I should say we also count out snacks, plates, swings, steps, legs/arms going into clothing, so he has an understanding of what numbers mean. :)